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Programs Throughout the Year
A highlight of Etz Chaim membership is participating in our wonderful family programs and services, many of which are centered around the Jewish holidays, including:
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| High Holiday Family Services |
This service is geared for families with young children- infants, toddlers, preschoolers through second graders. The service is about 30 minutes in length with lots of music from our songleader and a story from the Rabbi. |
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| Monthly Shabbat Family Services |
Services include the junior choir leading us in song. |
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| Monthly Tot Shabbat Services |
Services with lively Torah stories from our rabbis and music with our talented songleader. |
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| Sukkot |
Service to which children bring “gaily decorated baskets of fruit” and members shake the lulav, smell the etrog, and visit our congregational sukkah. |
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| Simchat Torah |
Service with a joyous congregational Torah-carrying and flag-waving procession. Kindergarten students and students who are new to our religious school are consecrated during this service. |
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| Hanukkah |
Party including educational games, entertainment and, of course, lighting hanukkiot, and eating latkes. |
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| Purim carnival |
Run by our Youth Groups, featuring games and prizes for kids and, of course, hamantashen. |
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| Purim |
Service that has to be seen to be believed! |
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| Passover |
Second-night congregational Seder led by our rabbis and songleader. |
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| Shavuot |
Service during which a Torah scroll is completely unrolled and held by congregational leaders as young people who have become B’nai Mitzvah in the past year read from the Torah. |
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In addition, our religious school offers at least one family program for each grade level, and an optional second-grade family class. Religious School Family Programs
The annual congregational retreat in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin is a very popular program that helps foster real closeness among member families. We gather together at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute for a weekend of informal study and educational activities on a specific topic. Special activities are developed for the children. |
the Union for Reform Judaism